Lionbackers.com

Short term Lions with nicknames:

Doug "Tank" Landry (1990)
Larry "Slick" Willis (1990)
Raymond "The Missile" Ethridge (1991)

One of my favourite Lion names of all time, although he didn't play a regular-season game, was Butts Giraud (1970). As far as I can tell Butts was his first name. After football, he went on to make a name for himself in business (Dog's Ear t-shirt chain), wrestling and music.

A couple of sets of 1959 Woodward cards. 8 pictures total.

On this Throwback Thursday, I will continue off the issue of players who tried to dethrone legend Lui Passaglia and in this case, they did. With all due respect to professional football's all-time leading scorer and second-most punter for yardage, he was never know for a great kickoff specialist as well and as such, starting in 1991 he gave way to two other players.

From 1991 to 1998 it was backup quarterback Giulio Caravatta who took over the kickoff duties. And incidentally, Caravatta was rarely known as a quarterback.



But yet ironically his action poses on his football card shows him playing the role of a quarterback instead of showing him making a kickoff.

In retirement as a player, Caravatta remained media when he became a color commentator for the Lions.
[video][/video]

After Caravatta retired, slotback Bret Anderson took over the kickoff duties for the Lions. And it's fair to say that along with Caravatta, Bret Anderson will be better remembered as a kickoff specialist instead of a slotback. As such, there is a playing card of him doing a kickoff.



Aside from relieving Lui Passaglia from his kickoff duties, both players had at least two other aspects in common in that they both attended Simon Fraser during their college years and in retirement, they became professional firefighters.

Sorry Robbie, but I will have to respectfully disagree about Bret Anderson. I think most Lions fans identify him as a slotback first and kicker second. I will remember him as a phenomenal athlete. If I recall correctly, when testing using different metrics, Bret was always ranked either the best or among the best conditioned athletes on the whole team.

Wally used to give him time off for his firefighting duties (didn't he once have a whole training camp off?), yet he stepped in and knew all of his assignments and didn't lose a step.


DH

Sorry Im a day late. Star Weekly predictions. Lions vs Ottawa for the 1965 Grey Cup

Jim Hunt predicts

Ballistic Bob wrote:Jim Hunt predicts

Not one of Shaky's more accurate predictions. BC didn't make the playoffs. Ottawa finished 2nd in the East at 7-7 and made it to the ESF before bowing out to eventual GC winner Hamilton.

David wrote:Sorry Robbie, but I will have to respectfully disagree about Bret Anderson. I think most Lions fans identify him as a slotback first and kicker second.

With all due respect to Bret Anderson as a receiver, I'd say that even though he was decent he was simply overshadowed by other receivers at the time and that especially includes the 2000 and 2006 Grey Cup winning teams. And I don't think he was often on the starting lineup and as such, when you think of good receivers for any of those seasons, Anderson will not be named first. On the other hand as the starting kickoff specialist, Bret Anderson will be remembered for his unique position.

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On this throwback Thursday, here's another Lion who only had a short engagement - wide receiver Byron K. Williams. He played a little late in the 1987 season and was remembered in a game on November 1, 1987 in Edmonton when the Lions stormed back to win 33-32 to clinch first in the west. The final drive consisted of a long pass from Dewalt to Byron Williams. He also started in the 1987 WDF with his fellow starting receivers Sandusky, Carinci, and Pankratz.
[video][/video]

In the start of the 1988 season he played only a handful of games with another receiver also named Williams (David) before he was released. He had future stints in Ottawa and Saskatchewan and then was part of the two year existence in Baltimore.

From Vernon, BC, running back Wes Cooper who played for the Lions for a handful of games in 1988 and 1989. He then became an assistant coach in 1990.

Being "Throwback Thursday," I thought some of you might like to look at some colour footage of our Leos in 1963 and 1964 (our first "Glory Years"). The first is a home playoff game against Saskatchewan in November 23, 1963 (one day after US President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald). This was the 3rd game of a total point playoff which we won 36-1 to move us to the home Grey Cup game the following week. That was played on a glorious sunny day - those highlights follow right after, then the '64 Grey Cup win in Toronto.

FF to the 42:50 mark. Although it's before my time, it's still really cool to watch in those beautiful burnt orange and black unis.

[video][/video]


DH

Thanks for posting this, David. The 62-64 GC vid was really something. It shows how well the league was promoted back then nationwide, much more than in this century.
Having watched the really poor b&w network game footage available from that time, it's surprising to find this. (compare this with the CBC Fog Bowl footage).


We have the Molson (and later Labatt's) film units to thank. Molson also had an important role in the preservation of NHL history:
http://playbackonline.ca/2002/12/19/hockey-20021219/
http://www.hockeyforum.com/nhl-forum/57 ... brary.html

A belated Throwback Thursday posting on by far the least popular of all the BC Lions CFL Most Outstanding Players - David Williams.


http://performanceabovepotential.com/th ... our-craft/

Bill "The Undertaker" Baker about to pounce on Argos QB Mike Rae, circa 1974.




DH

^^Nice sharp image quality, David.

Mike Rae about to be demolished by "the Undertaker" is a good way to depict Rae's forgettable 3 year CFL career, before he went to (original draft team) OAK just in time to win a SB ring as a backup. He would not be the Joe Theismann-like talent TOR was hoping to get.

I see the Lion's managed to get 3 quality years from Baker before returning to SSK to retire as a Rider.